Following up on a Thread from late last week, about air-form concrete dome structures: I went out an took a snapshot of the one that is about 10 road miles east of me. Way back, I watched this under construction, and stopped in several times during the process to observe more closely and to ask my usual thousand questions. The crews obliged, explaining in detail how it all went together. In a nutshell, for each dome: Foundations and slab are placed, as circles, with special connections ready around the perimeter. A giant plastic-composite balloon is affixed. The pattern is the final shape, but it is all wadded on the slab at first. Air-lock doors are erected, along with blowers. The balloon is inflated to engineered specs. A rig is then brought in, and placed at center. It is essentially a turret-like thing, with an arm that can rotate and tilt up/down. Within the balloon, urethane foam chemicals are sprayed, coating the inside of the balloon. Built up in layers, to avoid the problems associated with rebound and collapse. A dude in a moon suit controls the operation, breathing air piped in from outside. Next up, men erect grids of steel reinforcing bars, tying the rods in place. Conduits and such are installed. Inspection, again. The turret rig dons a different nozzle. A product similar to gunite is then shot all around the inside. Again, in such a fashion as to avoid issues with rebound and too much wet material in one spot (which would fall out). Experience: Important. After curing, the domes could be cut out in certain places, allowing communicating openings between domes and to the outside. Painting or whatever would be done. The non-dome projections were installed. I about puked when I saw these show up on site in strips, get erected and chinked-in. Awful designs, poorly details. My architect friend J.C., an ancient Modernist (Eighties now), was asked to be the architect on this project at the time. When the congregation informed him that they intended to use this system, he jumped ship. He had already established a thriving career in this valley, and felt that this project, with this system, would irrevocably damage his reputation. He did not want anything to do with it. The final design, what you see here, is universally loathed in town, and routinely made fun of. I dont knock the system. But the architect and builders here created a heavy-handed design, clumsily detailed and poorly executed. The acoustics within are an abomination. The horrid facility has changed hands many a time: not one of the religious concerns has been able to hang with it for long. Across the street: A conventional structure, built at the same time. Original owners. Thriving congregation. And so it goes.
Posted on: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 01:05:27 +0000
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